


Negotiations

by Texan_Red_Rose



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, Implied Sexual Content, Married Life, Multi, Polyamory Negotiations, Relationship Negotiation, ace!Abigail
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:07:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23915068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Texan_Red_Rose/pseuds/Texan_Red_Rose
Summary: It's springtime and Leah's ready to get a bit of woodworking done. However, one of her wives has something on her mind.
Relationships: Abigail/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Abigail/Leah (Stardew Valley), Abigail/Leah/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Leah/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 82





	1. Chores

**Author's Note:**

> I was making a comment about how Abigail doesn't have implied sex lines like Leah does (which, I've recently discovered, Abigail's trigger on rainy days, while Leah's trigger on specific days, but I'm still rather pleased by how this turned out) and Kapu pointed out that Abigail might be ace. I felt kinda bad so I wrote this.

Leah paused, chisel and hammer in hand while trying to both visualize the block of wood in front of her and how to transform it into the picture in her mind. Spring had just set in and it sparked her creativity, made her fingers itch to start working wood and shaping it into something magnificent, and there was a whisper of her hosting another gallery exhibition in the town square the day after the egg festival. The Mayor raved about the idea- probably originally voiced by one of her wives, though he didn’t reveal how it came to him- but that meant she’d need to have some new pieces to show off, and winter wasn’t very productive for her. Considering the farmwork lull in the colder months, she should’ve gotten more done… but, she’d picked up a few extra… ‘chores’, one might say.

Finally, she set her chisel against the wood and wound back her hammer, preparing to begin working the wood into something truly fantastic.

Before that first blow landed, though, she noticed that the happy, lilting notes of one wife’s flute had ceased and the distant sound of a horse neighing indicated her other wife was still tending the animals. Which meant-

“Hey...”

Slowly, she drew in a breath and pulled her chisel away. “What’s up, Honey?”

“Do you think she was acting a little… stressed out this morning?”

“Well… maybe a little?” She turned, watching as Abigail looked out across the farm with a small frown on her lips, obviously worried. “Did something stick out to you?”

“It’s just… a feeling.”

Now, generally speaking, Leah trusted her instincts. They steered her to the valley, to Pelican Town, and to the loves of her life. Abigail’s instincts, though, were just as spot on but also followed a different vein. She had an attunement to special places and dangers, sometimes rushing off the farm with hardly a word and just her sword to go save their wife from another ill-fated trip through the mines. Leah had come to trust her wife’s senses, even if she didn’t understand them.

Putting down her chisel and hammer, she leaned against the wood block and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting patiently for Abigail to elaborate. In the meantime, she examined the other woman, a small smile curling her lips as the light wind teased their hair. While she’d debated it- several times- since they got married, Abigail had yet to actually dye her hair at all, the locks retaining their shining purple color that so closely resembled the amethysts from the mines. Leah had jokingly offered to dye hers as well, though she really preferred being a redhead and didn’t think she’d be able to rock any other color quite as well as Abigail did. 

“It’s just-” Leah blinked, brought back to her senses from her brief mooning. Although they’d been married more than a year now, it still caught her off-guard sometimes how she’d managed to marry not one but  _ two _ women whom she absolutely adored. “She’s… tense.”

“Okay,” she said, trying to remember their brief interaction before their wife rushed out the door that morning to tend the fields and livestock. “Tense how?”

“Like she’s… pent up.” Abigail shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, a blush rising in her cheeks. “Maybe she needs a little… release?”

Belatedly, it dawned on Leah that she should’ve anticipated that. Back in the days when they were dating- and Abigail was trying to come to terms with liking not only another woman, but  _ two _ of them to boot- the three had sat down and had a blunt conversation about their pasts. Leah spoke about her ex, mostly, but Abigail addressed how she didn’t feel any sort of sexual attraction. They talked about boundaries and comfort and firmly established that Abigail didn’t mind that her then girlfriends had a sexual relationship but would decidedly  _ not _ be joining them in that regard.

“Yeah, she might. It’s been… a couple of days.” Of course, when they’d initially made the agreement, Leah didn’t anticipate how… insatiable their wife would be. Not that she was complaining, of course, because she  _ thoroughly _ enjoyed their nights together, but she also liked when she could cuddle up with both of her wives in their bed and enjoy a relaxing evening. Except in summer, when it got too hot in the farmhouse and she ended up sweating during the night. “I could try seducing her tonight. Do you want to help?”

Abigail looked at her then with a little smirk. Although the moment clothes started coming off tended to be the moment she left the room, Abigail enjoyed certain aspects of foreplay and they were both spoiled by their wife enough that they enjoyed turning the tables when they could. “I can do that.”

“Alright. We’ll make dinner and then see about releasing that tension. Will you be spending the night in the den or…”

“We should play that one by ear.” A small shrug as her blush grew a bit more pronounced. “I mean, both of you have… stamina, so…” As much as she tried to keep a straight face, Leah winced. She covered it pretty quickly but not fast enough. “Is something wrong?”

“Well, it’s just…” She reached up, rubbing at the back of her neck. “She… wears me out sometimes. I mean, she just…”

“Has a lot of energy?”

“Yeah.” A small sigh. “I’m not complaining, really, but ever since we finally got that last bit of work from Robin to make feeding the chickens easier, she’s… relentless…. Which is good!” She waved a hand, trying to distract herself from her own blush. “I mean, really, I enjoy every second of it, but… I sometimes feel like I need to recover. And, tomorrow morning I’ve got crop watering duty, so…”

Suddenly, Abigail’s expression lit up. “Oh! Oh! I’m so sorry- I didn’t even think of that!”

“That’s fine, really-”

“No no no,” she replied, waving both hands and almost knocking herself with her flute- which, sometimes, the woman could be so absent minded with things and it worried her that not one but  _ both _ of her wives kept running around with swords while also being a bit clumsy. “I’ll take care of the crops tomorrow morning. Just remind me about your chores whenever this, uh, stuff comes up, and I’ll take care of them!”

Leah released a breath she hadn’t noticed she’d been holding. “Thank you.”

“You should’ve brought this up before.” Her brow creased, a bit of worry coming to her eyes. “I thought it was just the art block weighing on your mind. Has this been bothering you for a while?”

“I mean…” She offered a small shrug. “It’s not that big of a deal, I guess-”

“But, it is.” Abigail stepped closer, putting her free hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture. “This… isn’t something I can help with, it’s not… a chore, I guess, that I can do, really. But, I can pick up other things; I love both of you and I just want to see both of you happy.”

“I know you do, Honey.” She reached up and guided Abigail into a quick kiss. “You make me  _ so _ happy, both of us. Just... don’t overwork yourself trying to ‘compensate’, okay? We’ve already got one of us passing out in the mountains half the time, I don’t need to go looking for you, too!”

Thankfully, the woman laughed. “Yeah, okay, I promise that!”

“And, when you’re done with the morning chores, we’ll  _ all _ have to sit down for a conversation about this.”

“Sure!” Then, she looked up, towards the mountains. “Uh oh. Train’s coming through.”

“I don’t-” And just then, she heard the faint whistle of the train and had to laugh. “I should just learn to trust your gut.”

“Hey, it’s not always right!”

“Probably because you haven’t had any quartz in a while.”

Abigail rolled her eyes and chuckled. “I’m never living that down, am I?”

“Nope.” She went back to her wood block, picking up her chisel and hammer again. “Hey, do you think-” Before she could even finish the request, the dulcet tones of a flute’s sweet melody began filling the air and she could feel it invigorating her imagination once more. “Thank you, Dear.”

She placed her chisel and got to work, determined to let her creativity flow until it was time to go back to the farmhouse and get started on dinner. Leah hadn’t spent long in Stardew Valley, but she felt as though she’d found a new life by coming to the small town, and she’d found the missing pieces of her soul along the way. It just took a bit of work to figure out how they fit together, like the most intricate and natural puzzle.

She wouldn’t trade it for the world.


	2. Strike True

Abigail held the lantern aloft, carefully weaving between the graves as Leah followed close behind. The moon was just a sliver overhead as crickets chirped all around them and filled the night with a soft melody. Beyond the boundaries of the graveyard, the faint sound of music from the Saloon’s jukebox drifted out of open windows as people began to finish up their night of drinking after a long week.

“Was it  _ absolutely _ necessary to come all the way out here for this?” Leah’s voice held a note or two of genuine concern- not quite fear, not yet anyway- as she followed closely behind. “We couldn’t have gone to the forest?”

“Well, there’s bears and slimes in the forest sometimes,” she replied, looking over her shoulder and smiling softly. “Here, it’s quiet and safe- a good place to learn.”

“We could’ve stayed at the farm if we needed somewhere quiet and safe.” Her wife pointed out. “You just wanted to indulge in the macabre.”

“Maybe.” Abigail flashed a smile. “Is that so bad?”

“Well, no, not exactly.” The redhead’s expression faltered for a moment. “You know I appreciate your unique perspective… but we’re in a cemetery in the middle of the night and I feel like-” At the sound of something rustling, Leah spun to face the noise and backed up against Abigail. “What was that?”

She barely managed to smother a laugh. “ _ That _ was a pine cone falling.” Abigail raised the lantern a bit higher, the circle of light reaching far enough to illuminate the source of the noise. “See? I used to hang out among the graves all the time. There’s nothing out here.”

“Are you  _ sure _ ?” The redhead gave her a look. “Ever since the shrine lit up, I’ve found myself at least  _ willing _ to entertain the idea of ghosts-”

“Oh, there are ghosts!” Noticing how her wife seemed to  _ not _ see that as comforting information, she quickly continued. “They’re mostly in the mines, though. I think we only get to be spooky ghosts if we die violently or something-”

“You are  _ not _ helping, Abby.” Leah’s voice trembled slightly. “I agreed to come out and learn how to use a sword because I thought it would be a useful skill to have, especially with you two running off to the mines or the desert at every available opportunity! But coming out here just to get scared-”

“Hey,” she said, all traces of amusement gone as she grabbed the woman’s hand. “I’m not making fun of you for being scared. I got scared, too, especially the first time I went to the mines.”

That seemed to calm her wife down, who looked rather sheepish suddenly. “I’m sorry for snapping, I-”

“I have eyes, Leah. I know you never watched whatever creatures the Adventurers’ Guild brought out or tried the mazes the wizard created. You always spent Spirit’s Eve in the town square. It’s just… not really your bag, like how wood sculpting isn’t mine.” A shrug. “Maybe we should just forget this. If we start heading back to the farm now-”

“No.” She sighed, shaking her head and squeezing Abigail’s hand gently. “No, I- I  _ do _ want to learn. You and Jane painted with me and both of us help Jane with the farm. I might not be confident enough in my skills to enter the mines myself but…”

Wordlessly, she nodded, leading Leah by the hand towards the old, unreadable grave that she used to spend countless nights beside, with only her lantern and her sword to keep her company. There, she set the lantern on the headstone and turned to face her wife. From the sheath on her back, she drew the sword she’d brought for the training; not quite as big or powerful as the Galaxy Sword their wife wielded or even the lava katana that she did now, but the simple and plain short sword that she herself used to train. She offered the blade to Leah. “Are you ready to start?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Her hand wrapped around it gingerly, gripping almost to the pommel- like she held her hammer for sculpting.

Abigail moved, standing behind her wife and gently repositioning her grip and her feet, explaining how to be mindful of her weight and the movement of her sword with each strike. At first, Leah was hesitant and cautious, but then became more comfortable with the motions the more she practiced them. Soon, she was moving between strikes, parrying invisible opponents, and slashing through the shadows at the lantern light’s edge.

They’d probably spent a good two hours in the graveyard by the time Leah needed a break. Between her sculpting and helping out around the farm, she had a fair bit more strength and stamina in her arms than Abigail did when she first started out. Overall, she felt they’d accomplished enough of what they needed for the night.

“Maybe we should look into some dull swords. Just for practice.” She held out a hand, preparing to sheath the sword and grab the lantern.

“Sword fighting in a graveyard; let no one accuse you of having boring date ideas.” Leah joked, preparing to hand the blade back when they both froze, hearing something rustling through the underbrush at the edge of the cemetery. Unlike earlier, this sound continued and grew louder as whatever caused it drew closer.

Almost instantly, Abigail raised her fists in lieu of a proper weapon but her wife stepped in front of her, holding the sword out and staring into the darkness.

“Leah-”

“It’s okay.” Briefly, she looked over her shoulder and gave a small smile. “I can- I can handle this.”

“Okay.” Stepping up, she put a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Remember, control your breathing, balance your weight, and be ready to move.”

They watched the darkness, tense, until suddenly the rustling stopped.

“Oops.” Then, the darkness became lit up as their wife slipped on her glow ring. “Sorry! Forgotten I’d taken it off when I checked on the slimes.”

“Jane!” They both shouted, surprised to see their wife walking into the cemetery. Abigail was the first to recover. “What are you doing?”

“Looking for you two!” She chuckled, setting her hands on her hips. “I was going to call it an early night, but came home to an empty farmhouse! I thought maybe you two decided to have a little fun at the saloon and saw the lantern light on my way over.” Her lips quirked up into a smile. “There’s only one person I know who takes midnight trips out to the graveyard. Or, well, two now, I guess.”

Slowly, Leah allowed herself to relax, a light blush coming to her cheeks. “And here I got worked up over nothing. Probably not going to be ready to try the mines any time soon.”

“That’s fine,” Abigail said, taking the sword and putting it away before grabbing her lantern. “Honestly, it was fun teaching someone else!” Then, she leaned over and kissed Leah’s cheek. “And you were so brave, ready to defend me on your first night holding a sword!”

As their wife’s blush deepened, Jane sidled up to Leah’s other side and gave the other cheek a kiss, too. “Both of my wives are so brave. I’m a really lucky gal!”

“Oh, quit, you two.” Despite the light objection, they could see the redhead’s smile as she started leading the way back home. “Maybe one day, all three of us can go to the mines together. Or maybe the desert?”

Panic briefly flashed across Jane’s face as she looked at Abigail. “Uh, I think the mines would be better- wouldn’t want to waste all that time on a bus when we’ve still got chores, and your expo is coming up-”

“I  _ knew _ it!” Leah turned, wagging a finger in Jane’s face. “The desert  _ is _ more dangerous than you’ve been letting on.”

Jane and Abigail exchanged a glance.

“Maybe just a  _ little _ .” Abigail conceded with a small smile, holding her finger and thumb a bit apart. “The serpents and dinosaurs are just a bit tricky sometimes.”

Leah blinked at both of them before sighing. “Just… make sure you pick up some more tonics from Harvey before your next trip. I know you’re both capable of taking care of yourselves, but I  _ worry _ when you’re both out in the mines all day.”

“I’ll swing by and get some when the clinic opens tomorrow,” Jane said. “And we’ll be careful, promise.”

“Alright.” Leah nodded. “Let’s head home, then. It’s been a long night.”

Taking the small victory for what it was, Abigail hurried to fall in step beside her wife, Jane on the other side, and the trio made their way back to the farm. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Leah  _ would _ go with them to the mines one day, for just a short excursion maybe. Considering how much she enjoyed picking mushrooms, she might like it- even though Jane had told her  _ many _ times that the ones they found in the mines weren’t the same. They certainly  _ looked _ prettier than the ones their wife brought home, especially the purple ones.

But, that would be another day.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Something Better](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28823805) by [Sorashana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sorashana/pseuds/Sorashana)




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